The state of Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife recently issued an advisory Washington recommending that people temporarily discontinue bird feeding, or take extra steps to maintain feeders as a result of recent songbird deaths due to salmonella. Read the DFW press release about it here.
The Seattle P-I and Seattle Times articles can be found here and here. DFW advises “stopping backyard bird feeding for at least a few weeks, if not for the remainder of the summer, to encourage birds to disperse and forage naturally.”
If you choose to keep feeders out, they recommend that you:
- reduce the number of feeders you maintain,
- spread them out,
- use feeders that accommodate fewer birds (using tubes rather than platforms),
- clean feeders daily with a 1-to-10 solution of chlorine bleach and warm water, and
- keeping bird baths and fountains clean.
Reports of dead birds in Washington can be made to the Dead Bird Reports line, 1-800-606-8768. Extra tips on helping reduce the risk of salmonella around your feeders can be found from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center here and here.
In a follow up interview by the Seattle P-I:
On whether you need to take down the feeder or just clean up DFW says: “You can help a whole lot by cleaning up, but in the face of an epidemic like we have going on, you have to clean every day, otherwise they’re probably hurting the birds more than they’re helping.”
The National Wildlife Health Center makes the following recommendations:
- To reduce the spread of the bacteria, clean feeders with a 10% bleach and water solution, rinse well and dry (Clean feeders in a bucket outside, rather than in the kitchen sink. ).
- Don’t put the feeders back up for one to two weeks, so that affected birds won’t be concentrated in one location.
- Rake up waste seeds/droppings below the feeders.
- Bird feeders with rough surfaces, cracks, or crevices are difficult to sanitize and should not be used.
- When using feeders, the location should be changed at regular intervals.
- Addition of more feeders may reduce crowding and minimize opportunity for interaction and contamination.
- Birdseed should be stored in rodent proof containers.
(Interesting the NWHC says add feeders to reduce concentration and WA DFW says reduce the number…).
Remember, for your own safety, wear rubber gloves when handling carcasses or droppings and wash hands afterwards in warm soapy water.
We’re still deciding how to respond here at the WSBirdcam. Likely we’ll reduce and relocate the number of feeders we have to disburse our visitors more and be extra vigilant on the cleanliness front, including regularly disinfecting the areas near the feeders where the birds like to perch (and where waste or waste feed may accumulate).
